Archive for the 'Nikka Costa' Tag Under 'Soundcheck' Category

So shouted out a guy across the aisle from me Tuesday night at Gibson Amphitheatre, just after Eric Clapton wrapped up a seated, six-song, somewhat acoustic blues segment that began with the wicked finger-picking of “Driftin'” but ended with that ho-hum, scaled-back version of “Layla” so many people inexplicably cherish.

By that point there already had been several stunning displays of his still-unparalleled fretwork in what fell just shy of a two-hour show. His solo at the end of Willie Dixon's “Hoochie Coochie Man” floored me early on: so nimbly executed for a guy about to be 66 yet so thick with grit, like he hasn't fully delivered during his last few flashier tours, including his Blind Faith-reviving appearances with Steve Winwood in 2009.

Maybe that had something to do with Clapton being the only guitarist on stage – no other legend Ã la Winwood or upstart sidemen like Doyle Bramhall II or Derek Trucks to spar with this time. Those sorts of match-ups bring out a different, more finessed side of Slowhand, his crisp tone adding uncommon sophistication to any collaborative competition.

But when he's the sole six-string attraction, he tends to loosen his typically immaculate grip and at times turn unrefined. I don't recall there being so much low-end twang and screeching gut-bucket roar to his playing when he was trading soaring licks with Trucks in 2007. His dynamics, effortlessly flipped in an instant, often got dizzying here. Epic pieces like “Old Love” and his take on Robert Johnson's “Little Queen of Spades,” for starters, were smoldering powder-kegs rife with out-of-nowhere fireworks.

• Those Fullerton-born Cold War Kids are gearing up for the release of their second album, Loyalty to Loyalty, due Sept. 23 -- and the day after it drops they'll celebrate its release with a show at the Music Box at the Fonda in Hollywood. (That's frontman Nathan Willett in the pic by Kelly A. Swift, from the group's show earlier this year at Samueli Theatre.) Tickets, $20, go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 22. Also at the Fonda: Jedi Mind Tricks, Nov. 7, $22, on sale Thursday at 10 a.m. ... and Kraak & Smaak, Nov. 21, $20, on sale Saturday at 10 a.m.

• Speaking of British acts, the Fratellis, touring behind their solid sophomore effort Here We Stand, will play Sept. 15 at House of Blues Anaheim, $14.50. The Airborne Toxic Event and Electric Touch will open.